I owe nearly all of my best childhood memories to growing up in Langata. Even now, living in a different part of town, I remember my days in Langata with so much nostalgia. I particularly remember how everyone seemed to come out of their houses in the evening once the hot sun has gone down and the streets are bustling with activity. Under the light of street lamps, a sea of street vendors would litter the walk ways with the hope of walking away with their wallet much fuller than when they arrived. From the soft negotiations between gentlemen selling clothes and their buyers, to aroma of fried tilapia of the ever vivacious ladies selling fish, to people from work in their power suits vigorously rubbing lemon and chilli on their roast maize, to smoke illuminated by the soft dusk light rising from the Mutura grills, Langata really did come to life at sunset. My favorite street food had always been, and still is, Mshikaki.

Today I decided to take my all time fave street food, originally a Kenyan coast delicacy, and transform it into a real feast. My chicken mshikaki with sticky honey sauce will take you to the moon and back!

COOK TIME: 30 MINUTES MAKES: 12

Ingredients:

1 large chicken breast, cubed

1 large green bell pepper, diced

Tomatoes (optional)

4 tablespoons of ketchup

1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce

1 lemon, juiced

3 tablespoons of honey

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon of rosemary leaves

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar/ lemon juice

1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric

1/2 a teaspoon of black pepper

Salt to taste

Method

In a container, put your breast together with the rosemary, garlic and ACV to marinate 6-8 hours but preferably overnight.

The following day, take the breast and chop it up into 1/4 inch cubes and toss them in the turmeric and the black pepper. Also cut up the green bell pepper to the same size and the tomatoes if you decide to use some. Arrange them on your skewers in alternating order.

Heat up your grill or pan and put them to cook. They should take about 8-10 minutes to cook through and get that amazing golden char.

As the chicken mshikaki are going, get the sauce going. It is really easy to make! I’ll show you how:

Put the ketchup, the lemon juice, the honey and the soy sauce in a pan together with 1/4 cup of hot water. On medium high heat, allow this to simmer down until all the ingredients blend and the sauce thickens. This should take 10-12 minutes.

Do taste the sauce and see whether the honey-lemon ratio is per your preference and if not, adjust accordingly. Once the sauce is done put it in a bowl. Drizzle the sauce generously over the hot mshikaki and serve.

Be sure to drizzle the sauce when the chicken mshikaki are hot so that the sauce seeps into the chicken flesh. Is it just me or does that sentence sound delicious…

Look at those beauties!

It doesn’t get any more Kenyan than Mshikaki, & it doesn’t get any more tasty than chicken mshikaki with sticky honey sauce. This is a feast of a life time!

If I was to become food in my next life, this is what I would want to be…

Happy Mashujaa Day!

– Miss Kaluhi

Get the full recipe here:

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